"Majestic trees" - would you recommend this company?

[Solo2]

I need to get hold of some mature trees for boundary screening (along with the trachelospermum which I did another thread about on here recently).

I've come across a company called "Majestic Trees" based near Luton. Has anyone had any experience with them?

Is it best to use a specialist company like this or would my local garden centre be just as good?

I have a feeling that they are quite expensive.
We used Barcham (in Cambs)which is a good specialist tree nursery but ordered through our landscaper to get the trade prices which are much lower.

There are other good tree nurseries open to the public.
Weasdale
www.weasdale.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
and Ornamental Trees are both good
www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/

Garden centres usually charge quite a mark up, a local nursery would be better if you prefer to go and hand pick your trees.

Bying bare root trees (from November till March) is much better price wise, and many think that bare root trees are quicker to establish (has been the case in my garden too).

What are you planting for privacy?

Thanks for this Pannacotta. Not sure what types of tree to get yet but I need something that is ideally evergreen, can grow in a small space between a fence and a pond, without disturbing the foundations of the pond (a natural swimming pond actually) and that won't drop too much leaf litter into the pond.

Barcham's looks v good and I might ask my gardening company if they could do the purchasing of the trees and planting.

Someone recommended photinia red robin to me but I'm not sure what to think.

That's also good advice about getting bare root trees. I want v v quick screening!

In another part of the garden, where screening is less important, I'd thought about a hawthorn tree, as I like trees that attract birds, wildlife and are native to this country if possible and the blossoms and berreis on hawthorns are lovely. we already have an old and large mountain ash tree in the garden, otherwise I'd have considered one of those.

I love oak trees but am not sure these would help with screening and rapid growth - if we can't get specimens that are already the right height and width through the garden gate entrance onto the site.

It is prob worth calling the above nurseries with your brief to see what they say.
Evergreen trees are good for screening but they will drop leaves all through the year which doesnt sound ideal for you.

Other good trees for screening are Ornamental Pear, which is only without leaves from Dec-March, and is tough with non invasive roots, also Birch which are fast growing, screen well, are shallow rooted and drop their leaves relatively late.

Rowans are also good and you can get various cultivars with unusual foliage/blossom, have a look here
www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/search/sorbus

Some Hawthorns also keep their leaves till late and are easy to grow and, as you say, great for wildlife. But they are quite slow so worth biying larger specimens.

When we had to choose trees for our garden I borrowed lots of books from the library and used these to find out more, I also asked the advice of an excellent tree surgeon who was happy to give advice.

Thanks again Pannacotta. You're very helpful and knowledgeable

Hadn't thought of Ornamental Pear. Sounds interesting. My gardeners are going to have a look at things on Monday. they're suggesting Ligistrum lucidum variegata - a variegated privet I think - or Ligustrum Japonicum (the darker version) and say they can probably source these and do the planting too.

There's one area however that's not along the boundary line where I need a farly huge tree to screen off the neighbours upstairs window view into my garden. However, this is also closer to my house, so I can't have anything where the roots are too invasive...

I'll see what they suggest. Thanks again for your help.

just came across this thread in googling my fav nursery Majestic Trees and felt compelled to dispel a misconception. Majestic Trees is an incredible company! a one of a kind. They have the widest range of sizes and varieties of trees and, in my opinion, they are of much better quality than any of the nurseries mentioned below. Plus you can just turn up at their 27 acre nursery and browse the whole place! AND they have advisors on hand to help you find just the right trees for what you're trying to achieve. But the biggest difference is that they will not only deliver your trees, but they will plant them as well, AND guarantee that they will survive as long as you follow their aftercare instructions. Majestic Trees has won multiple national and international awards and if you've ever been there to see their trees, or experienced their customer service, you can easily see why. A real value for money experience.

I bought 8 trees last year when I had a garden makeover. I used Barcham trees. They were so helpful with advice and the trees they supplied were excellent. Even if you do not buy from them, do have a look at their website. It is really informative and you can email them with any questions.

Majestic and Barcham are both top of the league tree nurseries who supply to large organisations and councils. Like matey said though, they can be expensive so best to go through someone who plants a lot of trees and gets the discounts.

I don't know about Barchams as I haven't ever been there, but Majestic Trees supply single trees to the public for their gardens all the time and the nursery is really worth a visit - totally set up for the public to browse most of the 27 acres and no appointment needed.